Challenges in warehousingand logisticsIn today’s global economy,warehousing and logisticsinvolve more than just “shovingboxes.” Warehouses nowoperate in dynamic globalsupply chains. A highlycompetitive global marketplacerequires rational approachesto designing dynamicwarehousing and logisticsoperations. Speed, efficiencyand quality all need to beimproved simultaneously, not only at the operational level but also during design and implementation.

Dynamic simulations of operations have become an indispensable aid to achieve these strategic goals.To address these goals, Tecnomatix provides Plant Simulation, which enables you to evaluate thewarehouse performance from a comprehensive “fact-based” perspective.

Ready for today and tomorrow’s questionsTraditionally, companies had to make “best guesses” about their warehousing and logistics operations.Now, Plant Simulation leverages material flow simulation to enable you to make “fact-based”decisions about:• Capacity requirements for personnel, storage and handling equipment• Site and warehouse layout, including position, length, number and width of aisles and otherconsiderations

• Storage, including ABC storage, zone storage, dedicated storage, random storage and cross-docking• Order-picking, including batching, optimized routing, sorting and consolidation algorithms• Effects of automation, including robots, AGVs, AS/RS and carrousels• Planning and control, including consideration of schedules, order release and other factors

Plant Simulation forWarehousing and LogisticsDesigning, analyzing and optimizing warehousing and logistics operations

Tecnomatix

BenefitsReduced time for designingwarehousing and logisticsoperations

Optimal utilization of resources,including personnel, docks, storageand other factors

Extensive what-if analysis andevaluation of scenarios

Optimal return on investments inequipment and WMSimplementation

Unmatched accuracy and realismof results

Set of predefined control rules

Visualization and animation ofoperations and their performance

Powerful tool to communicatedesign alternatives and theirperformance

FeaturesSimulation of complex productionsystems and control strategies

Object-oriented hierarchical modelsof warehouses, encompassingbusiness, logistics and productionprocesses

Graphs and charts for analysis ofthroughput, resources andbottlenecks

Comprehensive analysis tools,including automatic bottleneckanalyzer, Sankey diagrams andGantt charts

3D online visualizationand animation

SummaryTecnomatix® software provides Plant Simulation for Warehousing and Logistics, which allows you to rapidly create realistic simulationmodels of dynamic warehousing and logistics operations. Plant Simulation enables you to evaluate the characteristics and performance ofdesign alternatives long before they are implemented in real-life processes, thereby enabling you to make better design decisions andminimize design rework.

fact sheet

Siemens PLM Software www.siemens.com/tecnomatix

• Inventory management, including ordering policies, cyclecounting and other considerations

• Value-added logistics

Speeding up design and implementationPlant Simulation offers functionality to address all areas thatinfluence the performance of a warehouse. It provides basiccapabilities, such as the ability to represent storage racks, layoutand lift trucks. It also provides features for facilitating order-picking and value-added logistics.

Plant Simulation objects whose behavior is capable of reflecting real-world dynamics, such as varyingorder volumes, downtimes of resources and varying picking times. The simulation’s unmatched realismsharply differs from solutions that rely on common spreadsheet-based calculations.

You can easily extend Plant Simulation with custom objects or control strategies. Data interfaces tomost common applications support the analysis and re-use of existing data, such as data from anexisting warehouse management systems (WMS). Plant Simulation comes with a clever toolset thatenables you to run and optimize various operational scenarios and different warehouse designs.Performance metrics are displayed in a transparent manner in standard and customizable reports/dashboards. Operations are visualized through the use of aesthetically appealing 2D and 3D animations.

Application areasConceptual warehouse design. Conceptual design simulations should be easy to use and facilitate effectivecommunications. During this design phase, many options remain open including site and warehouselayout, delivery schedules and operating hours. Unfortunately, historical data often is not available, letalone detailed equipment specifications. However, the extensive capabilities of Plant Simulation supportconceptual simulations that facilitate quick warehouse design, process flow animation and the visualizationof key performance indicators.

Detailed warehouse design. Accuracy and extensive what-if analyses are most important for detailedwarehouse design. Conceptual warehouse designs need to be detailed further with more specific dataabout equipment and goods flows. Plant Simulation provides a range of fully configurable equipmenttypes and control policies to support accurate simulations. The solution’s automated experimentingcapability enables you to analyze and optimize a wide range of scenarios, including completelydifferent layouts.

Optimizing existing operations. Benchmarking a warehouse’s operation against a simulation model is anobjective way to optimize warehouse performance. Simulation models also can be used for operationalplanning. Re-use of data and flexibility are the keys to efficient benchmarking. You can easily feed variouskinds of data into Plant Simulation, including past orders, inbound and outbound flows, equipmentbreakdowns and other kinds of information, without regard to their source. Simulations provide accuratebenchmarks with clear visualization of the operation and key performance indicators.

Redesigning operations. At various intervals, every warehouse operation requires a redesign. Forexample, redesign usually becomes necessary when new customers have to be served or technologicalinnovations arise. Simulation is extremely valuable in these instances. Accurate data is readily availablefor the existing operations. Plant Simulation is the perfect tool to address even the most challengingredesign efforts. You can quickly and accurately build simulation models, as well as communicatealternative designs and results in clear reports and 3D animations.

fact sheet Tecnomatix

ContactSiemens PLM SoftwareAmericas 800 498 5351Europe 44 (0) 1276 702000Asia-Pacific 852 2230 3333www.siemens.com/plm

Features continuedIntegrated neural networks andexperiment handling

Automated optimization ofsystem parameters

Open system architecturesupporting multiple interfaces andintegration capabilities (ActiveX, C,CAD, MS Excel, Oracle SQL, OPC)

© 2009 Siemens Product Lifecycle Management Software Inc. All rights reserved. Siemens and the Siemens logo are registered trademarks of Siemens AG.Teamcenter, NX, Solid Edge, Tecnomatix, Parasolid, Femap, I-deas and Velocity Series are trademarks or registered trademarks of Siemens Product LifecycleManagement Software Inc. or its subsidiaries in the United States and in other countries. All other logos, trademarks, registered trademarks or service marksused herein are the property of their respective holders. 5/09